UX Manager Competencies
These competencies outline the expectations and growth path for UX Managers at each level. Use this framework to understand your current level and what’s needed to advance to the next level.
Manager (M5)
| Area | Competencies |
|---|---|
| Skill (Individual) | • Effectively handles daily tasks and leads projects with little guidance from their manager • Guides individual contributors • Identifies solutions using established approaches to solve defined problems • Consults with their manager on low-risk decisions impacting the team • Actively seeks feedback and engages in growth discussions • Remains focused and resilient under pressure • Seeks to understand others’ intentions and outcomes |
| Influence (Team) | • Regularly recognizes and rewards team impact • Provides timely, specific, actionable feedback and addresses employee concerns • Utilizes 1-on-1s to drive performance and engagement • Partners with their manager to address low performance effectively • Understands and mitigates bias during meetings • Applies an equity lens to ensure visibility, access, and opportunity for everyone • Challenges ideas, not people, and commits to decisions when necessary • Stays engaged in others’ work without taking over • Collaborates with their manager to structure the team with the right people and roles • Holds the team accountable for their results |
| Thinking (Team) | • Sets clear, challenging, measurable goals/OKRs aligned with company OKRs with manager’s support • Communicates priorities clearly • Proactively shares information and ideas with the team and stakeholders • Helps the team reframe problems to understand root causes and prioritize solutions • Builds relationships across teams and drives positive outcomes • Learns to influence stakeholders to move work forward • Helps the team make informed decisions by consulting the right stakeholders and balancing details with the big picture • Defines critical questions and data needed for decisions |
Senior Manager (M6)
| Area | Competencies |
|---|---|
| Skill (Individual) | • Defines the scope for projects involving multiple stakeholders • Leads a team to execute cross-team and multi-phase projects • Identifies solutions to clarify and solve ambiguous problems • Understands organizational culture and decision-making processes • Owns low-risk decisions impacting the team • Actively seeks feedback and drives growth discussions • Remains focused and resilient under pressure • Understands others’ intentions and outcomes |
| Influence (Team) | • Regularly recognizes and rewards team impact • Provides timely, specific, actionable feedback and addresses employee concerns • Utilizes 1-on-1s to drive performance and engagement • Equitably connects team members with opportunities and gives concrete challenges to solve • Understands and addresses bias in meetings • Applies an equity lens to ensure visibility, access, and opportunity for everyone • Challenges ideas, not people, and commits to decisions when necessary • Stays engaged in others’ work without taking over • Creates a clear vision and resources for delegation • Helps the team adjust plans to overcome external disruptions and embrace challenges |
| Thinking (Team) | • Sets clear, challenging, measurable goals/OKRs aligned with company OKRs • Helps the team understand how their work connects to the company’s mission and strategy • Communicates team priorities and trade-offs effectively • Tailors messages to the audience and presents them clearly • Proactively shares information and ideas to make reasoning explicit • Helps the team reframe problems to understand root causes and prioritize solutions • Anticipates conflicting viewpoints and influences key stakeholders • Crafts narratives to influence and align stakeholders • Helps the team make informed decisions by consulting the right stakeholders and balancing details with the big picture • Defines critical questions and data needed for decisions • Determines trade-offs, risks, and benefits before deciding |
Group Manager (M7)
| Area | Competencies |
|---|---|
| Skill (Individual) | • Defines strategy for products and processes • Identifies new opportunities and leads a team to deliver cross-team, multi-phase projects • Introduces new solutions to solve ambiguous problems • Navigates organizational culture and influences decision-making • Owns strategic decisions impacting the team • Demonstrates self-awareness and manages behavior patterns • Navigates the team through ambiguity and helps them remain resilient • Empathizes with others and offers understanding |
| Influence (Team) | • Regularly recognizes and rewards team impact • Provides timely, specific, actionable feedback and addresses employee concerns • Asks challenging questions to promote growth and different thinking • Equitably connects team members with opportunities and gives concrete challenges to solve • Motivates team members to bring their authentic selves and celebrates unique contributions • Recognizes and addresses bias • Anticipates challenges, integrates conflicting viewpoints, and drives the team to commit to critical priorities • Delegates work effectively and ensures proper team structuring • Helps the team adjust plans to overcome external disruptions and embrace challenges |
| Thinking (Team) | • Sets clear, challenging, measurable goals/OKRs aligned with company OKRs • Helps the team understand how their work connects to the company’s mission and strategy • Plans effectively and avoids firefighting • Develops compelling messages and presents them with clarity and credibility • Encourages constructive debate without defensiveness • Simplifies complex problems and prioritizes the right solutions • Helps the team understand the connection between changes and the company’s mission • Removes barriers, enables action, and celebrates team wins • Anticipates challenges, integrates conflicting viewpoints, and drives the team to commit to critical priorities • Uses narratives to influence and align key stakeholders • Frames decisions by explaining the “what,” “why,” and “how” • Balances short-term and long-term goals |
Director (M8)
| Area | Competencies |
|---|---|
| Skill (Individual) | • Defines strategy and contributes to the broader vision for the team • Leads the team to deliver strategic initiatives requiring collaboration with senior leaders • Designs industry-leading solutions to solve ambiguous problems • Builds partnerships to influence decisions and outcomes • Accountable for strategic decisions impacting the team • Seeks growth opportunities with mentors across the company • Demonstrates self-awareness and manages behavior patterns • Navigates the team through ambiguity and change, maintaining resilience |
| Influence (Team) | • Seeds opportunities and lets others discover issues • Coaches managers to develop culture and capabilities • Adapts approaches to motivate high performers and improve low performers • Understands team members’ career goals and provides meaningful growth experiences • Motivates the team to bring their authentic selves and celebrates unique contributions • Recognizes and addresses bias • Takes action against inequitable processes or outcomes • Anticipates challenges, integrates conflicting viewpoints, and drives the team to commit to critical priorities • Delegates work effectively and constantly seeks to improve team operations • Takes ownership of execution failures and rapidly remedies issues |
| Thinking (Team) | • Defines the team’s roadmap and OKRs in alignment with the company’s strategy • Ensures team and cross-functional stakeholders are committed to working towards the vision • Understands how the team’s goals connect with other teams and identifies opportunities for collaboration • Communicates complex, challenging, or unpopular ideas with poise and conviction • Continually simplifies processes and avoids overcomplication • Aligns team efforts with the company’s strategy, balancing short-term and long-term goals • Recognizes what works well and avoids unnecessary changes • Generates and celebrates short-term wins, empowers team members during change, and coaches them to manage change effectively • Removes barriers to collaboration and drives resolutions with diverse stakeholders • Knows when to challenge peers and leadership thoughtfully and adjusts approach to maximize influence • Acts decisively in critical situations, even when making challenging or unpopular decisions |
Senior Director (M9)
| Area | Competencies |
|---|---|
| Skill (Individual) | • Expert-level understanding of UX with strong skills in specific areas • Proactively identifies and solves gaps in existing systems • Confidently applies expertise to meet product design needs for the team and beyond • Contributes to a culture of design quality and high standards • Uses prototyping to envision and inspire future product states • Coaches others in developing their understanding of product design • Invests in building a network of external mentors for personal growth and adaptation |
| Influence (Team) | • Coaches team members to utilize their capabilities at the highest level • Builds a culture of recognizing and rewarding impact • Understands team members’ career goals and delegates work to provide meaningful growth experiences • Speaks up and seeks resolution when encountering inequitable processes or outcomes • Recognizes and celebrates unique contributions within and across teams • Equitably sponsors others for expanded responsibilities and promotions • Removes barriers to collaboration and harmonizes conflicting viewpoints to drive resolutions |
| Thinking (Team) | • Defines the team’s roadmap and OKRs in alignment with the company’s strategy • Ensures team and cross-functional stakeholders are committed to working towards the vision • Understands how the team’s goals connect with other teams and identifies opportunities for collaboration • Communicates complex, challenging, or unpopular ideas with poise and conviction • Continually simplifies processes and avoids overcomplication • Aligns team efforts with the company’s strategy, balancing short-term and long-term goals • Recognizes what works well and avoids unnecessary changes • Generates and celebrates short-term wins, empowers team members during change, and coaches them to manage change effectively • Removes barriers to collaboration and drives resolutions with diverse stakeholders • Knows when to challenge peers and leadership thoughtfully and adjusts approach to maximize influence • Acts decisively in critical situations, even when making challenging or unpopular decisions |